MANILA — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Friday warned candidates in the upcoming barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections against using the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for political ends as this is strictly prohibited by law.
In an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel Leyco said that while beneficiaries are free to choose who to vote for, aspiring barangay and SK officials should never use the program to advance their political campaign.
“That’s prohibited. Government funds should not be used for political purposes,” Leyco said.
He said DSWD personnel will monitor reports on political candidates using the program to gain an edge in the polls.
As a way of educating 4Ps beneficiaries, Leyco said DSWD social workers will be informing them of their rights to participate in the electoral process via the monthly Family Development Session (FDS).
Also through the FDS, Leyco said they will underscore the prohibition in using the program in advancing the political bid of any candidate, group, or party during the election period.
Leyco also reiterated that politicians have no hand in the selection and removal of households as beneficiaries of 4Ps.
According to DSWD, the only way to be delisted from the program is through a reporting system of beneficiaries who are violating some of the conditions set in the program.
The reports are gathered by the Grievance Redress System, which validates the grounds of the complaints against the beneficiaries. (PNA)
